New GALLERY ZOO ART Website

Wow! I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to post my entire online portfolio on one brand spankin' new website: galleryzooart.com. This site hosts my entire online collection which includes my large canvas paintings, yupo paper paintings, photography, 5" x 7" paintings on canvas board (art cards), and gemstone bead jewelry. With everything on one site, there is no need to pop all over the internet searching for GALLERY ZOO ART or Catherine Jeltes pieces. Plus purchases can be made directly from me, via PayPal--just click on the Buy Now button on the item description page. PayPal accounts are free, and you can shop confidently from a secure site.

It will take me a bit to post all of my pieces, so for the curious feel free to check back often. Galleryzooart.com also has an area for more blog postings, so I will be bouncing back and forth between here (blogger) and there. As a special treat for my collectors, my latest art pieces will be made available on galleryzooart.com FIRST, so to get the scoop before everyone else please bookmark my new site.

No Small Affair With Paper

I absolutely adore paper of all kinds--crisp brilliant white; slick, shiny YUPO; brown Kraft; fancy, textured fine art--the list is endless. Whenever I find myself seeking a creative spark, nothing jump starts it faster than browsing the scrapbook and fine art paper section of my local art supply store. There are so many color combinations, patterns, textures, and thicknesses--from whisps of tissue thin rice papers to chunky woolen fiber papers--that the closet door to my inspirational creativity is ripped from its hinges and the contents of its infinite possibilities are scattered about for my choosing.

One of my favorite ways to use fine art paper is as part of a mixed media painting. Fine art paper contains visible fibers such as yarn and cotton, and often uses natural items such as leaves, flowers, and tree bark to enhance pattern and texture. These patterns and textures lend themselves to unique backgrounds and provide interesting depth and dimension to pieces. Often, the paper itself inspires the subject of the piece, rather than serving as a mere addition. Though I am just beginning my exploration of mixed media in larger paintings, my art cards (5" x 7") illustrate the use of fine art paper in smaller mediums.

Even my art photography is touched by my obsession with paper. Did you know that aside from being printed on canvas that photos can be printed on museum quality velvet fine art paper--a cotton fiber paper that lends a marvelous texture and visual quality to the image? This paper looks and feels professionally luxurious, and is a great surface for creating prints of my original paintings. When framed, the paper elevates these prints to a unique and professional artwork in their own right.

The beauty of fine art paper is that the creative uses are as limited as the imagination. Fine artists and photographers may use it for mixed media, art mats, or frames, while others may use it for book covers, gift wrap, or even as a way to enhance a piece of furniture. Who knows--maybe one day my paper obsession will lure me completely away from acrylic painting. But for now, I will keep my options open.

Reflection

It is easy to believe in myself as an artist and mother when things are going well. On the other hand, believing in myself when things are less than stellar takes some effort. As an artist selling solely from online galleries, it is important to consistently produce new work to attract potential buyers and maintain the interest of current collectors/customers. Along with this comes the need to market, market, market...not to mention photographing and editing all new work and listing it for each online gallery.

Now in my former "regular" day job career, all of my work resulted in a steady pay check. Easy, right? We are raised to believe if we work hard and do good work, we can get paid and thus make a living. Naive me, I discovered that it is necessary to change this mentality when self-employed. My own self-discipline and drive to succeed constantly motivates me to work towards my artist goals. When buyers are few and far between, or I've entered juried competitions and my work is not selected, it is a challenge not to turn that energy back on myself and question my choices. Am I any good as an artist? Can I provide for my family doing this full-time? And then the big one...Am I being a good mother if my self-imposed work ethics are compromising my energy to be the parent my son needs?

Each day I contemplate these things, and each day I laugh with my son and try to reflect upon how fortunate I truly am. And then I face the easel again.

Blue Kid, Green Mommy

My two and a half year old son is currently in the habit of identifying people on the playground as if they were crayons. "Where did the Blue Kid go?" or "Where is Green Mommy?" is what I often hear as he refers to his new playmates of the day. Asking him to call them by their name usually results in him screaming as loudly as only an uninhibited toddler can "BLUE KID COME BACK!"

Sometimes I find myself thinking of my art in the same way (ie. "where's the blue painting with the dancer?" instead of "where is Flux?") I think that is my way of beginning the break-up phase. When I paint, I begin a very intimate relationship with my creation, as most artists do. The art becomes a part of me, and the process of creating it envelops darn near everything I do until it is finished. Then comes the Honeymoon Phase, when I display the painting for a period of time, satisfied with my efforts and admiring each brush stroke, the gradation of color, and the rhythm of line and movement. (If I am not "in love" with my art, I do not put it up for sale--it is that simple.) It is only by associating each piece in a more abstract way--by color, by number, etc.--rather than by title that I am able to emotionally disentangle myself from it enough to market it.

Does my son call me Running Mommy or my husband Biking Daddy? No. We are simply Mommy and Daddy, the labels through which all else falls neatly into place.

And it is perfect.

http://www.gallery-zoo-art.boundlessgallery.com/

Patience

Patience is not one of my virtues.

In fact, being mother to a toddler, this deficit in my personality is a recipe for disaster. Sure, I have tried many things over the years to chill out--deep breathing, whispering instead of yelling, walking away, punching soft inanimate things like mattresses (walls are kinda hard, and well, they actually hurt. It is not pretty like you see on TV.) Despite these efforts, I still struggle. Most days are fairly even keel (I know other moms are hard-pressed to buy this one) and if I had money to put in a jar for every time that I failed to be patient, I could probably end the recession. Ironically, it is not my child that might nominate me to see Dr. Phil. It is Adobe.

As an artist, I have a love/hate relationship with Photoshop. Don't get me wrong--it is an absolutely fantastic (and necessary) tool to market your work, plus if you become adept at it you can get in really good with your in-laws when sending them oh-so-adorable photo collages of their only grandchild.

If you can figure it out.

Adobe Photoshop is perhaps the only sure-fire way to motivate me to swear like a drunken sailor in ten minutes flat. I have no patience for it. Tutorial schmootorial. The "Help" feature sounds like the perfect option when at my wits end, but wait--none of the key words I select show up in the Search For. Funny, since the key words are used by Adobe in the program menu. Even better is that different features are in different places, depending upon which version you might be using, so make sure you have the same version as someone who might be giving you instructions on your "how do I do this" question.

The good thing is, though, that rarely do I experience a higher level of satisfaction and competence than when I master a new Photoshop technique (take that, Layers and Text! To the Mattresses!) It is when these achievements come without me having to take a valium, however, that I know I am one step closer to being the more laid back artist and parent I've always imagined. Now if it could just happen sooner...